37 Scorched Earth Part. 4 (1/2)
Alex and Bellie were puzzled, they had encountered another piecemeal of a goblin group. This was extremely strange, goblins would always use swarm tactics if they had these numbers. Ambushes like this normally implied that the nest was not a very big nest.
But all the dead goblins in their wake now implied that the goblins had willingly spread their forces out to soften the blow from an invading party. As an alert system and a delaying system, this would be fine. But goblins simply did not do this, they would either move in a horde, or in tiny individual groups of four, not setting up ambush chain camps like this...
Alex was concerned by this, he had killed plenty of goblins, even in large numbers. He had special skills that could handle the swarms if he had the support behind him that is, he could fend off plenty of goblins.
Ever since the great calamity began and humanity began awakening their powers and skills. Normally magic and warrior skills were rare between people, but when the first calamity began, the number rose greatly.
If the great kingdom had soldiers with the powers and magic support of today. The goblin threat would not have broken it and caused the kingdom to implode in on itself, paving the way for the second calamity, the demon lord. The researchers and magicians knew that the rifts were responsible for the sudden increase in magic to permeate out into the realm, before that the most magically gifted of the people in the realm was the elves that lived protected underneath the might of the World Tree.
”I do not like this... something is wrong... The goblins are lining themselves up for the slaughter. If these three camps had all piled onto us we would have been in trouble” Alex commented as he retrieved his ax from the skull of a dead hobgoblin. They even had hobgoblins! This nest must be massive Alex thought if they have goblins outside like this to man such a perimeter.
”You are giving the goblins to much credit!... Come on the tracks are increasing, I think we are near their main camp now.” Bellie said as she drank a mana potion. Giving the girl named Sylvie a firm push as they began to move once more.
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Meanwhile, Grandir was running full speed, sweat dripping down his forehead, he was headed back towards an area where he knew he would cross their path, so he could intercept his friends. He was running faster than normal giving up on stealth, he reached a point where he could track his friends and their path forward into the forest, and their bloody path through a few goblin camps, his face got more worried seeing the dead goblins. He sped up once more to reach his friends faster, hoping to catch them before they reached to far ahead.
As he sped past some trees, three goblins that were hidden, waited till he was gone, before they followed behind him trying to remain stealthy. Lurk smiled beneath his hood seeing the dark elf speed up towards their cave.
Alex looked at the cave entrance down inside a rocky pit in the forest ground. The path down towards the cave was completely empty of goblins. Bellie looked at the forest path at the top where the goblins would exit from into the forest.
”... A lot of goblins have left there recently... but they went a different way than towards us?... They went an entirely different direction... Are they fleeing?... Or moving to flank us when we go inside?...”
Even Bellie was showing concern now, what were the goblins doing... In fact, if the goblins would walk that direction they would perhaps run into Grandir, as that was the direction he went.
Alex noticed Bellies face frowning. ”Maybe we should give up this heist... can you tell if they had humans with them?... ”
”No... they do have a hobgoblin though... This is weird... ” Bellie looked at the tracks and then looked down into the rocky cut in the ground leading into the cave. Just when she was about to say something she turned and put an arrow on her bow. Grandir came running out into the clearing, gasping.
”... Something is ... Wrong...” Grandir breathed hard... ”I came across some goblin camps... But they were already dead... I think someone else is here fighting them... someone had fought them with wind magic.” He walked over to them looked at them sternly.
”I think this is our chance... We can move in and take the real prize while others are fighting the swarm...” Grandir smiled at Alex and Bellie, that also smiled in return. Sylvie lowered her head slightly looking away from them.
Well hidden and a bit away from them, Lurk, Aurk and Vorm were sitting observing the adventurers. Well out of hearing range, But Lurks enhanced senses could hear a little of what they were saying, and saw that the adventurers looked happy now that they had realized that the goblins were out and fighting 'something'. He had made this plan mostly out of desperation. He needed to somehow make it easier to save the women, and also make it safe for himself and his chosen few goblins.
During their time sending out the groups of goblins, Lurk had checked each off them, handpicked the ones that had Low [Evil Trait], and sent them to specific places where he did not intend to set his plan in motion. The moment that any of the pyres would be lit. Lurk had given the camps special commands to stay put and ambush the intruders. Whilst he and the sun soakers went off to kill off the other camps.
It was not something he felt good about doing, the goblins that he slaughtered were not expecting it at all, bunched up as he lobbed a tempest wind disk into them, the survivors being taken out by Aurk and Vorm, with little to no problems. He even gained a new threshold on his Wind Magic learning a new Wind spell.
He had instructed the goblin at the watchtower to send the cave goblins and Vrek and two of the bosses way in another direction, into the camps that he had sun soaker team had destroyed. Giving the adventurers time to get inside and secure the women.